Lawmakers Want Comcast Merger Contingent On MASN Arbitration

[Marcus Carr]

Lawmakers Want Comcast Merger Contingent On MASN Arbitration
Nats Games Still In Limbo For Many D.C. Residents

POSTED: 8:37 pm EDT July 5, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Three area congressmen say Comcast should enter binding arbitration to end a dispute about the airing of Washington Nationals baseball games.

Tom Davis, Jim Moran and Albert Wynn are asking the Federal Communications Commission to stop Comcast's proposed merger with Adelphia Communications unless Comcast agrees to go before an arbitrator.

The dispute is over the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, which is run by Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos. He plans to move Orioles games to that network after the Orioles' deal with Comcast SportsNet expires.

Comcast believes its contract was improperly terminated and refuses to carry MASN -- which is where most Nationals games are shown.

http://www.nbc4.com/news/9474398/detail.html

 

[cablewithaview]

why? what is the purpose of government interferring? one moment government wants to warn Comcast about "abusing" regional sports channels, now you have government concerned about a sport channel not being aired, WTF ??? there is a lot of stuff going on concerning this and I have a feeling before it's over with, Comcast will have some stake in that channel if not buy it right out. I say send it to court and let them hash it out, if the contract was terminated without the proper protocol to do so, then that will come out as well. At this point I can't blame Comcast.